Calgary Gets Consent

#CalgaryGetsConsent is a campaign initiated in 2017 by the Centre for Sexuality (formerly Calgary Sexual Health Centre) with the intention of creating a culture of consent. The overall goal of #CalgaryGetsConsent is to raise awareness and provide education about consent by initiating a community-wide conversation, and to provide community members with tools to discuss consent. Recognising that consent is important at all ages, from birth into old age, this campaign aims to normalise consent in all aspects of our lives.

#CalgaryGetsConsent includes several initiatives:

free community training opportunities about consent and bystander interventions

a media campaign across multiple platforms to start the conversation about consent

working with community partners on local events

The project was originally intended to be a one-year project aimed at providing opportunities for conversation and awareness around consent and sexual violence, as well as providing free training workshops for night clubs, organizations, venues and festivals. Due to the tremendous response to the project, its work will continue as a full time program with the Centre for Sexuality (formerly known as Calgary Sexual Health Centre).

Since the beginning of this project, we have created curriculum for four different workshop topics, including Bystander Intervention Training for community members; a workshop about consent in real-life relationships, called Let’s TALK About Sex; Providing Safer Establishments, a popular training for bars and music venues; and a recently-piloted workshop about masculinities and consent, called Helping Guyz Be Wise.